Other Sylvester Stallone movie franchises include The Expendables and Escape Plan, and for a time, it appeared Cliffhanger would join that list. The star was attached to the upcoming Cliffhanger 2, reprising his role as Gabe Walker. Instead, Variety has confirmed the project is being overhauled, and will instead be a soft reboot fronted by Lily James and Pierce Brosnan. No reasons have been cited for Stallone's departure, but his sudden exit leaves the star in a strange place in terms of franchises.
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With His Cliffhanger 2 Exit, Rambo Is The Only Big Franchise Stallone Has Left
Stallone fans shouldn't expect a Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot 2
Custom Image by Yailin Chacon Whatever the details of his Cliffhanger exit, Stallone only really has the Rambo franchise left to turn back to. Stallone retired Rocky Balboa following Creed 2 and was notably absent from the third installment, while Expendables 4 was a huge box office bomb and is the lowest-rated entry. While a sequel to his Amazon adventure Samaritan is said to be in development, the film has yet to move ahead.
... Stallone mulled some Rambo 6 ideas after the fifth movie, including having the half-Native American John hiding out on a reservation.
Even if Samartian 2 does come together, that hardly feels like a project audiences are clamoring for. In the past, Stallone has always had a character to fall back upon when coming off the back of underperforming projects. Stallone currently has no active franchises he's part of, but Rambo 6 is the only one that could realistically happen now. The ending of Last Blood implies the wounded ex-soldier was about to die - but Rambo has gotten out of worse predicaments too.
Indeed, Stallone mulled some Rambo 6 ideas after the fifth movie, including having the half-Native American John hiding out on a reservation. Another sequel would naturally need to take Stallone's age into account, so he wouldn't be firing an M-60 in one arm without wearing a shirt. Even so, one more Rambo could serve as an epilogue to one of the star's best characters.
Rambo: Last Blood almost ended with the main character's death, but during post-production, Sylvester Stallone used CGI to keep Rambo's rocking chair moving to indicate he was still alive.
Why Stallone Is Unlikely To Return To His Other Major Franchises
Stallone's Rocky exit feels permanent
While Stallone's exit from Creed 3 initially appeared to be his way of handing the series to Michael B. Jordan, it was later confirmed he was feuding with series producer Irwin Winkler. This was due to Stallone's lack of ownership over the characters he created, and it appears this dispute hasn't been resolved. Creed 4 is in development and a Drago spinoff is also planned, but the series appears to be moving beyond Rocky Balboa and Stallone.
Another property that Sylvester Stallone is unlikely to come back to is The Expendables. The fourth Expendables was such an unambiguous flop the property might be done for good; if it does come back, it will probably be rebooted with a new cast. There's a slim chance it could go to television - just as Millennium did with their Has Fallen franchise - but even that wouldn't guarantee Stallone's involvement. While the star found himself an STV series with Escape Plan, the poor reception to the sequels means nobody is really asking for a fourth chapter either.
If Rambo 6 Happens, It Can Redeem Last Blood
Last Blood may as well have been called Taken 4
In a 2023 interview at the Toronto International Film Festival (via JoBlo.com's Facebook page), Stallone stated he was finished with the John Rambo character. Despite this, he claimed producers were still eager to make another sequel.
Rambo, I could leave him. He’s done pretty much, even though they want to do another one, but what am I fighting? Arthritis?
Despite receiving largely negative reviews, Last Blood was still a modest hit. If anything, Rambo is the one franchise Stallone should return to, since the fifth film was easily the weakest. The issue with Last Blood is that it felt like a hyperviolent riff on Taken instead of a Rambo movie. Stallone's performance was the highlight, but every other character felt one-note, and outside the gory thrills of the finale, the sequel was a joyless, nihilistic slog.
First Blood | 1982 |
Rambo: First Blood Part II | 1985 |
Rambo III | 1988 |
Rambo | 2008 |
Rambo: Last Blood | 2019 |
Rambo 6could give Stallone's titular character a more dignified final chapter than the last entry. He can make peace with his past and his talent for warfare - while kicking some ass along the way. The film doesn't have to end with his death either, and it could even give John Rambo a (reasonably) happy ending. This might be wishful thinking, and while Tulsa King might keep Sylvester Stallone busy, his fans also want to see him back on the big screen.
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Cliffhanger 2 is the sequel to the 1993 action-adventure film starring Sylvester Stallone. The film will see Stallone return as an older mountaineer along with his daughter, who has begun following in his footsteps.
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Rambo
Beginning with the novel and the film First Blood in 1982, Rambo is an action-adventure franchise starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a Vietnam War veteran embroiled in violent conflicts that test his survival skills. The series has enjoyed critical success over several decades, branching into comic books, video games, and more.
English (US) ·